There is currently a very wide variety of transportation solutions that include: cars, boats, airboats, aircraft, Ground-Effect Vehicles (GEV). Most of the currently existing transportation solutions tend to focus on a single or dual use such as amphibious aircraft, flying car (roadable aircraft) or car-boats. None of the existing transportation solutions allow for adaptability to a wide variety of customer requirements and a wide variety of environments. Examples of simplified versions of the invention would be an airboat-motorcycle (no wings) or ground-effect-motorcycle which is licensed as a motorcycle and a boat which has folding wings to allow storage in a standard garage. The three wheeled configuration helps to keep weight to a minimum which improves performance (larger useful payload, more passengers or better fuel/battery economy) and simplifies licensing. Ground-Effect Vehicles have been in use for many decades but have not gain popularity. One reason that the inventor believes the GEV has not been popular is due to the limitation of not being able to drive the GEV on roads. The subject of this patent is a roadable, adaptable-modular, multiphibious-amphibious ground-effect or flying, car-boat-plane or surface-effect motorcycle invention which can more fully address that issue while allowing for the flexibility to adapt the vehicle to the needs of each customer.
The advantages of a roadable airboat, GEV or aircraft are well known from prior inventions such as amphibious cars. The amphibious car can basically use any body of water as an additional “road” to and from other destinations by driving from the home to readily available boat ramps then thru the water, up a boat ramp near the destination and then drive on the roads to the final destination and back home all from the same vehicle. A roadable GEV has the added advantage of a smoother ride, lower surface resistance, higher cruising speeds and/or lower energy/fuel consumption. The roadable Multiphibious Vehicle can operate over water, sand, weeds, floating wood, subsurface or shallow stumps, snow, ice and any other semi-smooth flat surface or convert to be able to fly like a conventional aircraft (by following FAA rules). The roadable Multiphibious Vehicle also protects marine life such as Manatee, Dolphins/Porpoises, whales, Sunfish, Rays, Crocodiles, Alligators and all types of fish that are near the surface since there is no propeller or boat hull in the water.
Another environmental feature is that the engine-motor, fuel, batteries and transmission are fully contained in the central module (for collection and proper disposal) such that no motor oil, lubrication, battery fluids, fuel or other contaminants will leak into the water. An all electric and hybrid-electric, diesel-electric or gas-electric versions of this invention are all possible with this Multiphibious Vehicle's modular-adaptable design.